COVID-19 Response: Update on sick pay for employees and self-employed in Ireland's Tags

COVID-19 Response: Update on sick pay for employees and self-employed in Ireland

Published 11 March 2020

On Monday 9 March the government announced that the next phase of Ireland’s Covid-19 response includes enhanced illness benefit. This seeks to limit and slow the spread of Covid-19 and arises from a €2.4 billion package with supports for employees and the self-employed. Individuals benefit from these payments if medically certified as required to self-isolate in accordance with current guidelines.

The main elements include for medically certified cases:-

Payment immediately - Waiving the requirement for a six day waiting period for illness benefit

No means testing forSupplementary Welfare Allowance

Increased payment – from €203 per week to €305 per week for a maximum period of two weeks or the duration of medically-certified absence from work due to Covid-19 diagnoses

Self-employed included in the enhanced scheme

The government has indicated that it aims to backdate the new sick pay arrangements to apply from the decision of the Cabinet subcommittee to introduce the new measures on 9 March.

It is anticipated that these measures will remain in place for the duration of the current public health emergency. However, the position is evolving day by day, with the National Public Health Emergency Team meeting regularly, and the Cabinet subcommittee due to meet again on Friday 13 March to update if necessary the overall national action plan.

We will continue to closely monitor the position.

For further information on common queries we have received to date, please see here our briefing by our Employment, Corporate and Insurance teams.